Zealotry Without Discernment
A phrase I have heard in other contexts is “zealotry without discernment.” Behind it is the idea that, while a person might be “correct”, they are only that. The correct person in question is cold, uncaring, and interested only in the correctness of his cause. Though he might be factually right, no one listens to him, because he is rude, hard to get along with, and most damning: his concern for the truth is a matter of his own self-justification, and not to either live according to that truth, or to edify others with that truth.
In a religious context, this might look like someone who can articulate, and prove, all the dogmas of his faith, but does not live the faith. Sure, he knowns the seven Ecumenical Councils front-to-back, but what does it profit him if the atheist across the street is humbler, more loving, and selfless than the supposed Christian?
When it comes to the right, we suffer from “zealotry without discernment” as well. Many people in America do not like transgender ideology, mass immigration, and political corruption. A lot of people, if you asked them, would prefer the trillions of dollars we spent in the Middle East, and now in Ukraine, to be spent here, and addressing our own problems. To demand absolute acquiescence to our solutions, however, will only drive people away. Playing up an “extreme solution” to “extreme opposition”, also turns people away. Yes, the left looks a lot like communists, but that does not mean we need to play up a fascist aesthetic, and rehash World War Two. People think the left is crazy, but they do not find comfort in an equally radical right. There is nothing extreme about any of our positions, but the way we often communicate them is extreme. Every interaction needs to be a conversation, with the intention of changing minds, not trying to score points with our base.
On the note of changing minds, I will share something I should not. A few days ago I was, with a single tweet (primed with groundwork of course), able to get an elected politician to start championing a certain cause of mine. How was this possible? How did I, get a Democrat no less, to stop talking about abortion, and start talking about [redacted]? Because people are receptive to gentle pushes if the push is done without spite, without the framing of WAR, and, especially, if they think of you as a peer.
You, my gremlins, can also wield this awesome power. Remember that you beliefs are rational, that most people agree with you, and the only thing between you convincing them is the way you speak, and the way you act. I am not necessarily suggesting Twitter activism (with what has been happening in France, however, pushing state Republicans towards an immigration moratorium would be profitable), but a general approach to life. Whether you are trying to better you political, religious, or work community, if you speak gently, and live in accordance with your words, then people will listen. If a crazy man like me can do it, so can you.